Two Girls in London
by MusingsFromMars
Summary: Weiss has always dreamed of one day winning a figure skating world championship, but when her pairs partner gets injured, she thinks her dreams are dashed...until her skating superstar best friend Ruby volunteers to be her replacement partner. Over the next three weeks, they will work to do the impossible, and grow closer and closer at every turn. Real-World Figure Skating AU.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

The Potsdam Norden Ice Rink was empty. Not many people were interested in going when it was so cold outside, but it was a necessity for Weiss. She had to skate every day, even if she was busy visiting family. It wasn't because she had to, she just loved it so much.

The sliding and chipping of her skates on the ice blended with the small speaker hooked to her phone in her pocket. Her own voice sang a song of her own writing—the music for her upcoming World Championships routine with her partner Neptune. The song started soft and slow but would build to an ultimate fortissimo. The mere thought of skating a flawless program to the song gave Weiss goosebumps. Her heart yearned for the day she could attempt it in front of the world.

But for now, she settled with skating alone in a small ice rink in Potsdam, Germany, her birth city. Her mother always encouraged her to visit her family every now and then, so Weiss figured she'd fly over to see her grandparents for a bit before getting swamped with the World Championships and eventually preparing for the US Team Trials back in the states.

She wasn't doing anything particularly impressive at the moment. She simply felt like skating. Every now and then she'd do a simple spin or leap, but she mostly just thought her way through her routine, making sure she remembered it all.

Her song was just about to end when the music was interrupted by a light electronic jingle. She slid to a halt near the wall and pulled her smart phone out. On the screen, "Ruby Rose wants to video chat" was displayed. Weiss huffed in amusement. Ruby was the only person she knew who preferred video chat over phone call. Weiss accepted the call, and the smiling face of her friend appeared on the screen. "Guten tag!" Ruby greeted cheerily.

Weiss chuckled in response. "Good day to you, too, Ruby."

Ruby appeared to be outdoors, walking down a sidewalk and dressed in a red coat. Her breath was visible. "Is it cold in Germany?" Ruby asked.

Weiss nodded. "Very. And it is wonderful."

"You're so weird," Ruby joked. Weiss really liked the cold and Ruby didn't understand. "Well it's cold here at home, too."

"I can tell." Weiss smiled a bit at how red Ruby's face was in the cold New York City air. "So, to what do I owe the pleasure of seeing you this fine evening?"

Ruby laughed quietly. "Well, I figured you'd wanna talk a bit after what happened."

Weiss raised an eyebrow. "What happened?"

Ruby's smile disappeared. "Wait, you haven't heard?"

"It seems I haven't." Weiss pushed away from the wall and began to skate around, perhaps out of her sudden nervousness.

"Oh." Ruby chuckled a bit, then went silent.

"What happened?" Weiss asked again.

"I figured someone would have called you by now," Ruby admitted. She sighed, a white cloud of her breath floating over her shoulder. "Well, I guess I'm delivering the news."

"You're freaking me out here," Weiss told her, smiling a bit but still obviously nervous. Her voice reverberated through the empty building. "Just say whatever it is."

"I'm sorry, Weiss," Ruby said softly, her eyes showing her woeful compassion. "Neptune hurt his knee practicing this morning."

Weiss slid to a stop in the middle of the rink. She stared down a her phone for a few silent seconds. "Say again?"

"Neptune tore up a ligament or something and can't skate. He's gonna miss the Worlds." Ruby sighed, pursing her lips in a forced smile. "I'm sorry."

Weiss felt absolutely floored. Neptune got hurt? But...they had trained for weeks, perfected every element, qualified for the World Championships with flying colors. He couldn't be hurt now, so close to achieving something they had been working towards for so long, something Weiss had dreamt of since first starting out skating. "Is...is he alright?"

Ruby chuckled lowly. "He's just bummed out. He feels sorry for you. We all know how much the Worlds meant to you."

Weiss sighed, turning her head downward. "He shouldn't feel sorry. Accidents happen." Weiss wanted to seem unbothered, but there was a growing lump in her throat. Her eyes started to sting a bit with the threat of tears looming. She really did want this. She wanted it so badly that she dropped out of college just to free up practice time. Her little thirteen-year-old self had made a promise that she would one day be the best skater in the world, and the chance to achieve that was gone. Weeks of preparation all for naught.

Ruby saw how distraught Weiss seemed. Her eyes narrowed a bit with concern. "Weiss, are you okay?"

Weiss sighed, her breath shaking. "I just..." She shook her head, not looking at her phone. "This is...really sudden."

"I'm sorry you had to find out like this," Ruby whispered.

"Don't be," Weiss huffed. She brought a hand up to wipe at her eyes. "I mean, there's next year. We just gotta look forward to next year's—"

"I could skate with you instead."

Weiss paused and froze. She looked back at the screen to see Ruby, seemingly serious. "What?"

"I could be your replacement partner," Ruby reiterated. "I mean, I know learning a whole pairs program in three weeks is a tough task, but I think I could do it. I mean, I'm not a novice at this sort of thing, I've done pairs skating before."

Weiss stared at the image of Ruby for a moment, then shook her head and smiled. "Thank you, Ruby, but I don't think that would be allowed."

"What, because I'm a girl and you're a girl?" Ruby asked with a chuckle.

"That, and I don't think the Championships would just allow anyone to replace my partner." Weiss wanted to feel optimistic about Ruby's offer, but didn't want to get her own hopes up.

"I could ask Coach Oz about it. He probably knows the rules and stuff," Ruby proposed. She appeared to be entering a building. The ambient chatter and familiar noise coming through her phone speakers told Weiss that Ruby was in a coffee shop.

"Even if you could, you already have your own solo program to focus on," Weiss reminded her. "You'd be stressing yourself out by doing two different programs for the same competition."

Ruby laughed, her eyes closing for a moment. "Weiss, I usually don't like to brag about myself, but I think if there's anyone who can learn your pairs routine, _and_ do a solo routine at the World Championships, it's me."

Weiss exhaled through her nose and smiled with bemusement. "Ruby, I really appreciate your offer. I seriously do. But I fear it wouldn't be possible. Not to mention you already made the Worlds on your own. You shouldn't neglect your own routine that you've put so much effort into just to help me out."

"You underestimate the size of my heart," Ruby quipped and winked.

Weiss scoffed, but offered her friend a fond smile. "I'm fully aware of your enormous heart. You should really have a doctor check that."

Ruby stuck her tongue out at Weiss. "Just accept my amazingly selfless offer, Weiss!"

Weiss rolled her eyes and began to lightly skate around again, drawing small circles on the ice. "I'll tell you what, Ruby. If you convince Oz to let you do this, and if it turns out the rules will allow it, we'll do it."

"Awww yeah!" Ruby pumped her fist in the middle of the waiting line for coffee. Weiss could see a couple people in the background shoot Ruby quizzical glares. "We're gonna make history, Weiss! The first pairs team of girls to win gold at the Worlds!"

Weiss giggled, covering her mouth with her hand as she did. "Your optimism is very charming, Ruby."

"I try." Ruby then turned from her phone and spoke to someone off-screen. "I need a large caffé latte with strawberry syrup and honey with a dash of cinnamon."

Weiss grimaced. "Are you ordering coffee or an ice cream cone?" She asked with disgust.

"You dare doubt my vision?" Ruby asked her with a grin. From off-screen a woman asked _"what's the name on this?"_ "Weiss," Ruby told her.

Weiss sighed and shook her head. "You love it when they misspell my name, don't you."

"They always do," Ruby said as she left the counter. When they would get coffee together, Ruby always gave Weiss' name when ordering, while Weiss always made up a random name for her own drink. To this day, Weiss' name had never once been spelt correctly on the paper cups.

"You know, I have to hand it to you," Weiss said. "You're pretty good at delivering bad news."

"Uhhh, thanks?" Ruby shrugged.

Weiss rolled her eyes and smiled. "I mean you managed to cheer me up a bit."

Ruby was now leaning up against a window. Behind her was the street, and Weiss recognized where she was—somewhere along 5th Avenue. "Awww, aren't I such a ray of sunshine?" Ruby teased.

Weiss scoffed. "Forget I said anything."

Ruby laughed again. "Love you, too, Weiss."

 _"Wise."_ Someone off-screen called. _"Large caffé latte for Wise."_

Ruby snorted and stood up quickly. "That's me! I'm Wise!"

Weiss dissolved into laughter. Ruby would always stand up and draw attention when they would pronounce "Weiss" wrong. It always embarrassed Weiss when she was with her, but now that she was on another continent she could enjoy Ruby being a goofball a little more. "Wise. That's a first."

Ruby retrieved her drink and showed it to Weiss. Indeed "wise" was written on the side. "You are very wise, don't deny it."

Weiss shrugged and nodded. "I can be."

"Wise Weiss, that's you." Ruby then took a drink of her strawberry honey carbohydrate supreme latte with cinnamon. She hummed with pleasure and nodded. "Oh yeah, that's the stuff."

"I can smell that thing all the way in Europe," Weiss joked.

Ruby giggled as she left the coffee shop. Ambient street noise funneled out of Weiss' phone speakers. "Well, I'm gonna head to the training center and poke Coach Oz until he agrees to allow me to skate with you."

Weiss sighed and smiled. "Thank you. Let me know what he says."

"Can do." She gave a thumbs up. "Talk to you then. See ya!"

"Bye, Ruby." Weiss nodded to her. Ruby's image disappeared, and Weiss put her phone back in her pocket.

The silence that fell over the ice rink was profound, the low hum of the cooling system the only thing keeping Weiss' ears from ringing. She pushed her skate on the ice, sending herself sliding back towards the opening in the wall. She was no longer in the mood to skate. She feared she would get sick from the already low burning feeling in her stomach.

Neptune was injured, unable to skate. For the time being, and likely indefinitely, Weiss was without a partner for the World Championships. After so much time preparing, all the early mornings and late nights, fate had dashed Weiss' aspirations. Her only hope was Ruby. Weiss wanted to be optimistic about Ruby convincing Oz to let her be her partner, but even if he did allow it, Weiss didn't know if the championship committee would. She knew the Worlds were a strictly run competition, and no one got there without earning their spot. Ruby was a qualifier as a solo skater, so she'd be at the Worlds anyway. Hopefully the powers that be could find a way to allow this to happen. Otherwise, Weiss would be stuck sitting aside, a mere supporter watching other skaters live her dream.

She desperately hoped Ruby could come through for her. When Ruby had initially offered to be Weiss' replacement partner, Weiss got an inexplicable ballooning feeling of joy in her chest for a second. The mere thought of skating with Ruby was exciting, for reasons Weiss could not quite place. They were best friends, and Ruby was the best-best friend Weiss could imagine, and Ruby offering to take on such a huge undertaking like learning an entire pairs routine in such a short period of time, all to help Weiss, was heartwarming. Weiss still felt bad for making Ruby think she ought to make such a sacrifice for her, but Ruby seemed more than content with going through with it. Maybe Ruby just liked Weiss that much. They had been friends since middle school after all.

Weiss decided to push her worrying aside for the moment as she left the ice and headed for the dressing room. She was prone to worrying quite a bit, especially when it came to skating, but she was in Potsdam visiting her family. She felt she could afford to focus on connecting with her grandparents for the next couple of days before heading to London, perhaps to meet up with Ruby.

She immediately told herself to not think so optimistically. She did not want to get her hopes up. Skating at the World Championships with Ruby as her partner was a long shot. If that's how it worked out, then Weiss would allow herself to get excited, but right now, she did her best to prepare herself to attend the Worlds as a spectator.

After switching her skates for a pair of black boots and lugging her gym bag outside, she approached her black rental car parked right by the front entrance. A brisk wind cut through the air, the faintest hint of snow blowing with it landed on her long black coat and grey leggings. She climbed into the car and began to drive away, the voice of a German-speaking radio DJ the only distraction from Weiss' gradual onset of despondency. By the time she reached her grandparents' home, it was snowing.

* * *

Ruby was running down the sidewalk, heading for the nearest subway stop. Ever since hanging up her video call with Weiss, she could barely contain herself. _I'm gonna hang out with Weiss in London, Just me and her! Like, I could totally ask her out! On a bridge or at a park or something romantic like that! This is perfect!_ The possibility of Coach Oz denying her proposal didn't even cross her mind as she hustled down a subway station staircase, inadvertently bumping into multiple people during her descent. Several expletives were hurled in her direction, but she ignored them as she ran for the turnstiles. She fumbled with her wallet to get her Metro Card out and had to slide the thing through the scanner at least five times in quick succession before the thing actually read it and allowed her through. She then continued to run until a police officer asked her to kindly slow down to avoid running in front of a train by accident. She nodded in agreement as she paused to catch her breath. She did all of this while carrying her full cup of "coffee."

It was not as cold down in the subway corridor as it was street side, and Ruby got the sudden urge to shed her coat. As she quickly undid the buttons and threw her arm back to allow the garment to slide off, her arm bumped into someone nearby. Ruby immediately apologized before turning to look at them. "Oh! Sorry, I–"

"Rubes!"

Ruby turned to see who she had hit, and she was astonished to see her sister Yang standing to her right. The tall blonde wore a brown coat and an orange scarf around her neck. She held an arm full of books to her chest. Ruby instantly perked up, though she was still a tad out of breath. "Yang!"

"You following me or something?" Yang joked, her smile quirked to one side.

"All the time," Ruby joked in response, wrapping her coat sleeves around her waist, now wearing a simple white long sleeve t-shirt.

Yang chuckled and bumped her shoulder against Ruby's. "Where you heading?"

"To the training center," Ruby answered, stumbling sideways a bit from Yang's playful nudge. "How about you?"

Ruby noticed Yang hunch forward a bit. The golden-haired girl groaned. "I'm heading back to campus to study with some friends for finals week." She readjusted her grip on her stack of engineering textbooks. "I'm stressed out of my mind."

"Aw, supportive shoulder rub." Ruby reached over and placed a hand on Yang's shoulder just as she said.

"Yes, thank you for that," Yang nodded. The 'supportive shoulder rub' seemed to calm Yang a bit.

A train arrived, car after car rumbling past before the silver trams came to a halt. After those departing made way, Yang and Ruby stepped aboard along with everyone else. They both grabbed the same pole inside the car as the doors closed and the train began moving.

"So what tests do you have coming up?" Ruby asked her over the screech and rumble of the subway. She took a drink of her beverage.

"Calculus III, Engineering Thermodynamics, Numerical Analysis-"

"Sorry I asked," Ruby cut her off with a chuckle.

Yang sighed, leaning heavily on the pole as she looked at her baby sister. "What about you? When's that big skating contest?"

Ruby snorted a laugh. Calling the World Championships of Figure Skating a 'big skating contest' was an understatement. "It's three weeks away," Ruby told her. "Do you think you can come?"

"Sure, sis. So long as I survive all my exams," Yang said, her eyes looking off for a moment.

"You _are_ really stressed out about that," Ruby said.

"About exams?" Yang asked.

"Yeah."

"Oh yeah. Very stressed." Yang nodded, exhaling. "I wish I could just drop out and be a figure skater like you. I wouldn't have tests or classes or...blah."

"Instead, you could get up at five every morning, get to the rink by seven, and practice all day and get home by nine in the evening," Ruby shrugged.

"You trying to one-up me?" Yang asked.

"Maybe." Ruby smirked.

"Can you differentiate a two-dimensional object outlined by two functions and rotate the object about an axis and determine the surface area of the resulting three-dimensional object?"

"A what?"

"Exactly," Yang chuckled.

"Well, can you do a triple toe loop?" Ruby asked.

"A what?"

"Exactly."

The sisters both laughed as the train stopped at the next station, but neither of them got off yet. The train soon continued on.

"How's Weiss doing?" Yang asked, once again adjusting her grip on her books.

"Oh, Weiss?" Ruby asked, suddenly perking up, looking towards her sister with interest.

"Yeah." Yang couldn't help but smirk at the way Ruby reacted whenever the girl's name was brought up. Ruby had never let on about it, but Yang could tell Ruby had a thing for Weiss. Ruby had known the girl since she was eleven, and every single time Ruby would talk to Yang about her, she would be as excited as she ever could be. Yang had only met the girl a few times, but could understand why Ruby liked her.

"Oh, I think she's alright." Ruby nodded, looking to the side for a moment. "She's in Germany right now. Her partner kinda got hurt and won't be able to skate with her at the World Championships, but I volunteered to be her replacement partner, and all I gotta do is ask the coach if we can and then I'll–"

"Hold up a second." Yang raised a hand. "You're going to be her replacement partner?"

"Maybe," Ruby nodded. "As long as the coach approves, and the championship committee approves, and I can get to London early to practice with her-"

"You're going to try to skate with Weiss...at a World Championship event...with three weeks to prepare?"

"Yes." Ruby's voice had no trace of doubt whatsoever.

Yang stared at her utterly insane sister. The girl's silver eyes stared up at Yang, and it was evident that no form of reason or persuasion would make Ruby change her mind. Yang could tell that there was nothing that was going to stop Ruby from going to London to skate with Weiss, whether they were allowed to or not.

 _Man,_ Yang thought. _My little sister is hopelessly in love! That is the only explanation!_

"You love her!" Yang suddenly claimed.

Ruby turned red. "Excuse me?"

Yang engulfed Ruby in a one-armed big sister hug, pressing the shorter girl's face against her coat. "You're gonna fly halfway around the world just to make that girl happy, you adorable little lesbian you!"

"Stoooooop," Ruby begged, her voice muffled against Yang's chest. Ruby had gone limp, accepting the fact that Yang was not letting go for a while.

"You don't know how long I've been waiting for this day! You're finally making your move!"

"What?" Ruby asked.

"Ever since the day you came out, I knew you'd eventually get with that Weiss chick and this is, like, the best possible way to do it!" Yang squeezed Ruby even tighter. "Oh, I'm such a proud big sister, I could just die."

"People are staring," Ruby mumbled, peering over Yang's arm to see various quizzical looks directed their way.

"In London, too! Like, I'm impressed. You saw an opportunity and you took it. Gosh, I am, like...gushing."

"You're a monster," Ruby murmured. "You fiendish scoundrel."

"Can I be your maid of honor?"

"Ohmygodcanyouplease-" Ruby cut herself off and ducked her head down, managing to escape Yang's embrace and stepping away from her. Ruby gave Yang an incredulous look. "I am not doing this because I love her. I'm doing this because she is my best friend and she's always dreamed of winning a World Championship and I don't want her to miss out on this chance to achieve something she's always wanted."

Yang elevated onto her tiptoes, her face turning a faint pink as she held her textbooks over the bottom half of her face. After a brief squeal, she hopped up and down on her toes. "You're helping her dream come true! Oh my..." Her words dissolved into incomprehensible giggles as she hid her entire face behind the books.

Ruby stared at the edition of "Mechanical Engineering: a Modern Approach Vol. 3" that obstructed Yang's face. She felt the ever faint urge to slug her sister in the gut, but another part of her admitted that Yang was right. Ruby was doing this out of the kindness of her heart, but also because she had been crushing on Weiss for...how long had they known each other? Six years. She'd been crushing on her for six years. It had been so long mainly because Ruby had assumed Weiss wasn't into girls until about a year back. Weiss mentioned going out with some girl from Yang's school, which had made Ruby infinitely happy to know that Weiss was into girls, but also made Ruby infinitely jealous because she was into a _different_ girl. To Ruby's relief, that relationship only lasted a couple of dates. Weiss had told Ruby that she was just waiting around for someone more special. Ruby remembered wanting to stand on a table and remind her that she was, in fact, very special. Weiss knew Ruby was gay, but she never seemed to bring it up in relation to herself, which Ruby could appreciate in a way. Just because they were both lesbians did not mean they couldn't just be friends, and Weiss was an awesome friend. They had been for six years. However, Ruby felt ready to finally make a move. She only hoped Weiss would feel the same when the time came.

After switching subway lines and riding through a few more stops, Yang had to leave at 116th-Columbia U station. Yang made Ruby promise to come see her before leaving for London, which Ruby agreed to. They waved at one another as Ruby's train pulled away.

After another set of stops and another line change, Ruby arrived at 145th Street and left the station. She reemerged from below the street and immediately put her coat back on. Remembering her original mission, she began to walk briskly down the sidewalk towards the Ozpin Memorial Ice Rink and Training Center, named in honor of Coach Oz's grandfather. She could see the silver and white building in the distance. Her excitement was beginning to return, the idea of skating with Weiss coming back to the forefront of her thoughts. She desperately hoped Oz would approve of her impromptu skating excursion with Weiss. Otherwise, all of this hoping would be a waste.

She finished off her coffee and tossed it in a nearby bin. She then began to run once again. The thought of her lovely best friend motivated her to get to the training center as quickly as she could. She could already imagine Weiss' excitement when Ruby would get to tell her the good news about how they could skate together...

 **Ten minutes later...**

Ruby stood in Oz's office, speechless and disheartened. She was rooted to her place, motionless as she felt all of her hope dissolve away, the image of a sad, disappointed Weiss plaguing her mind. "What...what do you mean 'No?!'"

* * *

((Disclaimer: I don't know much about figure skating. I was watching figure skating on TV and marveling at how beautiful the performances were, and I was inspired to write this story. Do keep in mind that I know nothing about what practice is like for figure skaters or how long it takes to prepare a program. I did do some research on toe jumps and Axels and twizzles and the like, so at least I know the difference between a Lutz and a loop. As for everything else, don't expect it to be accurate to real life. If you're a figure skating expert, this story may seem pretty inaccurate *laughs nervously*. I'd love to spend more time researching figure skating, but I'm already incredibly busy in real life as it is. This is just going to be a fun little story that I can enjoy writing and I hope you all enjoy reading.

Thank you for reading Chapter 1! I eagerly await your reviews! Chapter 2 is in the works.))


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

 _Weiss is gonna cry, Weiss is gonna cry, I don't wanna make Weiss cry, 'cause then I'll cry and then we'll both just be crying._

Ruby stared into space as she rode the subway home, gripping the metal pole with both hands, not moving a muscle besides to maintain her balance in the moving car. She kept thinking to herself how she got Weiss' hopes up for nothing, how she got her own hopes up for nothing. She remembered something her Uncle Qrow once told her: "You think everything's going good, then BAM! Life happens." Ruby could always think of a quote from Qrow to apply to every situation. Especially the bad ones.

She emerged from the subway at Columbus Circle and began her walk to her apartment. It had gotten colder since leaving the training center, or at least it felt that way to Ruby. After all the excitement and running around she had done earlier, she was a lot less upbeat now. In fact, she wanted a nap more than anything.

Her apartment was a small studio a diagonal block from Columbus Circle, located on the third floor of a twenty story building called the Beacon Tower. There wasn't much to it; there was a main room and a bathroom. As Ruby entered, her cloth beige couch was to her right against the wall, and the kitchenette was to her left. A TV was mounted to the ceiling in the corner just above the door. A small bar counter branched from the kitchenette, separating the living and sleeping areas of the room save for a small path. The floors changed from hardwood to carpet as Ruby entered the bed area, which consisted of a full sized bed, a night stand, and a chest of drawers. To her left was the door to the bathroom, which was small enough for Ruby to reach out and place her hands on opposite facing walls simultaneously. To her right was a double-door closet, packed with a litany of clothing and numerous pairs of skates.

The sad skater flopped onto her bed, starring up at the exposed brass piping running along the ceiling. She played over her conversation with Coach Oz and Assistant Coach Goodwitch in her head. She had asked to be Weiss' replacement partner and to be sent to London early to practice with her. While Oz seemed to ponder the idea, Glynda was critical of Ruby. _"You have a program of your own to focus on, do you not?"_ she had said. _"And what makes you think you would be allowed to do such a thing as replace another skater at the Worlds?"_ Ruby felt thoroughly shut down, and Oz hesitantly capitulated to Glynda's points, making the decision final. Ruby would remain solo, and Weiss would simply spectate.

Ruby felt like crying. Not really the sad type of crying, but the more despicable type, like when a parent refuses to buy their kid a candy bar and the kid whales in obnoxious despair. Except Ruby was being denied the ultimate opportunity at achieving love, or, at least, some quality time with her favorite person in the world.

Okay, maybe her crying was the sad kind. But either way, she cried nonetheless.

She tired herself out after a good ten minute sob. She decided to order some sorrow-pizza and change into far more casual attire consisting of a white two-sizes-too-big t-shirt and a pair of shorts. She then flopped onto her couch, pulled her bra off through her sleeve, and turned on the TV.

 _"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to London, England for another exciting football encounter,"_ recited the sportscaster as a soccer game appeared on the TV.

 _Wow,_ Ruby thought. _Thanks for rubbing it in my face, Irish soccer guy._ She immediately changed channels to a news station.

 _"Let's go live to London for additional coverage on the scene,"_ spoke a news anchor.

 _Ugh._ Ruby turned the TV off.

She sat in her silent apartment for a few seconds, then leaned her head back and released a groan. "Uhhhhh my gaawwwwd. I wish Yang were here," she mumbled to herself. This apartment was originally going to belong to both Ruby and Yang, but after Yang earned enough scholarship money to pay for a dorm at Columbia, she couldn't pass it up. So now Ruby lived here on her own for the first time in her life. The figure skating association paid for her rent as part of her membership with the team in addition to her salary. She made a good amount of money for a nineteen-year-old, but her sister and father always told her to save her money. If her Uncle Qrow was around, however, he'd always say to spend it while you got it. Ruby chose to listen to her dad and sister in this case, though she did order the occasional pizza and buy a new pair of Vans every now and then.

Speaking of her pizza, Ruby heard a knock on her door. She got up and made her way to answer it, but when she opened it, she was not met with a pizza. Instead, there stood Jaune and Nora, two of her down-the-hall neighbors.

"Oh, hey guys," Ruby greeted, feeling slightly cheered up by Nora's grin, but only slightly.

"Hey Ruby," Jaune said. He was a tall guy, and he wore a light blue T-shirt and jeans. He handed her a book. "Ren wanted to return this to you. He would've returned it himself, but he's busy making breakfast for dinner."

Ruby looked down and took the copy of "The Curse of Class 6Seven vol. 9" manga she had loaned to Ren. "Thank you," Ruby nodded.

Ruby noticed Nora's face instantly turn from cheerful to concerned. "You doing alright?" She asked, tucking her hands into the pockets of her pink jacket.

Ruby looked at the ginger-haired girl and chuckled. "Oh, I'm fine. Just tired."

Neither person at her door seemed to believe her, but they didn't call her out on it.

Jaune, Nora, Pyrrha and Ren lived in a two room apartment down the hall. Two girls and two guys living together seemed unusual to Ruby, but it sure seemed to work fine for the four, so she didn't have a reason to doubt. Jaune, Nora and Ren all were students at Borough of Manhattan while Pyrrha went to Pace University and did MMA of all things on the side.

"Uhh, did you need something, too, Nora?" Ruby asked.

"Oh, yeah! I forgot." Nora chuckled. "We wanted to ask if you'd wanna go to a Knicks game with us on Saturday. We have four tickets, but Pyrrha has some meeting thing to go to."

Ruby raised an eyebrow. "A meeting thing?"

"She could get signed to a fighting promotion," Jaune explained. "It's more of a tryout."

"Wow. Well, tell her I wish her good luck," Ruby said. As beautiful and sophisticated Pyrrha always seemed, Ruby couldn't believe she was as good of a butt-kicker as her roommates claimed. Maybe that was because Ruby had just never seen the girl fight.

"So, do you think you could come?" Nora asked.

Ruby thought for a moment. JNPR (which is what Ruby and other people who knew the four always called them) were always going to some game at MSG or some show on Broadway. Ruby had gone along a few times and had fun, but after today's misfortune with trying to be Weiss' partner and how she'd probably be practicing a ton on Saturday, Ruby didn't feel like she'd up for going along. "I don't know about Saturday. Can I tell you four later if I can make it or not?"

"Sure thing," Nora shrugged. "Just let us know. Hey! You wanna come have some world famous Ren-cakes?" She asked. "That's short for 'Ren-pancakes.'"

Ruby chuckled. "Thanks, but I think I'll stay in today."

Jaune and Nora glanced at one another, then Nora shrugged. "Well, alright then."

"Have a good evening, Ruby," Jaune said.

"Thanks," Ruby said back. The pair then left, and Ruby shut the door before returning to her couch.

She stared across the room at her microwave, the little green digital display telling her it was just half past eight. She was a little surprised at how late it already was. Maybe she really had been sulking for that long.

Her pizza arrived soon after, and she proceeded to eat a few too many slices of pepperoni and pineapple. She lied on her back, staring at the ceiling in regret, groaning. Then, her cell phone rang.

Weiss' name appeared on the screen, accompanied by a couple heart emojis. She was requesting a video chat.

Ruby went into panic mode. She wasn't ready to break the news to Weiss yet, but she couldn't just ignore the call. Should she stall, or lie? _I can't lie to Weiss. Ugh, what do I do?!_

Despite her crisis, Ruby's phone continued to vibrate as if taunting her. Without any better idea, she picked it up and answered.

Weiss' face appeared on the screen. It was shrouded in darkness, the only light source apparently being her phone screen. "Hey, Ruby," she greeted with a smile.

Despite how much Ruby was freaking out on the inside, she smiled back. "Hi." Even in the dark, grainy image, Weiss looked really pretty. Her hair was down, and it framed her face beautifully.

"I'm sorry to call so late, I just..." Weiss chuckled. "I couldn't sleep."

"It's not that late," Ruby said back, but then realized. "Oh, It's like, what...two in the morning there, huh?"

"Yeah, two-thirty," Weiss murmured with a small giggle. "So, uh...did you talk to Oz?"

Ruby was wondering how long it would take before Weiss would ask. Ruby immediately made sure her face wouldn't give anything away, but she had to think of something to say fast. "I did," she nodded, hoping she didn't seem suspicious.

"What did he say?" Weiss asked, her eyes wide with anticipation.

Ruby wanted to say something, anything, besides the truth. She wasn't ready to see how Weiss would take it. Then again, she had to tell her the truth. Lying would only make things worse. As much as it was going to hurt both of them, Ruby had to come clean.

Ruby took a deep breath, then looked at Weiss' image as she delivered the news. "He said no."

Oddly enough, Weiss had a bit of a smile on her face as she nodded. "Okay," she said, a small quiver in her voice.

"I'm really sorry," Ruby said, a burning sensation settling in her chest. "I really wanted to help you."

"Ruby, you did your best. I'm really thankful that you even thought to do this in the first place. That was very selfless and very sweet of you. Thank you."

Ruby couldn't help but feel like she didn't deserve that thank you, but nodded nonetheless. "Of course, Weiss."

"Hey, I'm still looking forward to the Worlds. I can't wait to see your performances," Weiss said. "And maybe you and I could hang out at some London lounge or something in our spare time?"

Ruby smiled halfheartedly and nodded. "That sounds fun."

Weiss nodded back. "Thank you for trying. It was incredibly sweet to see how much you wanted to help me. I really appreciate it."

Again, Ruby felt like she was getting too much praise for how guilty she already felt. "No problem, Weiss."

Weiss and Ruby looked at each other for a few moments, neither of them finding anything to say, until Weiss chuckled nervously and shrugged. "Well, I guess I should try to to get some sleep. I'll see you later, Ruby."

"Okay," Ruby nodded, not wanting their conversation to end. "Good night."

"Good night, Ruby," Weiss smiled kindly, and then her image disappeared.

Ruby let her phone fall as she sighed, lying down on the couch. She gritted her teeth and considered getting up and banging her head on something. Despite how much Weiss smiled and thanked her, Ruby couldn't help but feel like she broke Weiss' heart. She imagined Weiss crying in bed right now. Ruby would do anything to be there with her just so she could comfort her.

 _No,_ Ruby thought to herself. _I can't accept this._ She picked her phone back up. _I'm not done trying._ She navigated through her contacts list until landing on a contact labeled "Coach Oz." _One way or another_ —she tapped the little phone icon and called Oz— _I'm going to see Weiss in London._


	3. Chapter 3

((In case anyone may be interested, I am now on Tumblr! I'll post updates on my fanfics, post about RWBY and whatnot, make a photoshop thing or two, and respond to asks! My username is musings-from-mars.

And now, the third chapter of Two Girls in London! I hope you enjoy!))

 **Chapter 3**

Ozpin soon answered the phone. "Hello, Miss Rose?" came his always seemingly lively voice.

"Coach," Ruby said back. She cut to the chase. "I'm calling to beg you to reconsider your decision and allow me to be Weiss' replacement partner."

She heard Oz chuckle, followed by a sigh. "Ruby, I greatly admire your drive, but as much as I would love to see you accomplish such a feat as to perform both a solo and pairs routine at the World Championships, I feel it's best to simply focus on your task at hand."

"Coach, with all due respect..." Ruby took a breath. She realized how her voice had begun to speed up and increase in volume. She felt almost surprised by her own increasing intensity. "I feel you're underestimating me."

Oz chuckled again. "Ruby, I am well aware of your ability. You qualified for the Worlds with flying colors. However, you've been working on your routine for months. How do you expect to get similar results by trying to replace Neptune in Weiss' routine with three weeks to prepare?"

Ruby stared at the ground, annoyed with the good points Oz was making. "Well...would I be _allowed_ to do that?"

Ozpin's voice was silent for a few moments. "Allowed, as in allowed by me, or allowed by—"

"The championship committee," Ruby finished for him.

Ozpin hummed, then laughed. "You know, I did do some digging. At the very least, a pairs routine featuring two female skaters is not disallowed."

Ruby felt a bit of reinvigoration. "It is?"

"Indeed. Now, the problem lies in the fact that it was Weiss and Neptune who qualified for the World Championships in their division. Simply inserting yourself into a World Championship category is not an easy task."

Ruby felt a sinking feeling in her stomach, but realized Oz's word choice. "But it's not impossible?"

She heard rustling of papers before Oz continued. "To put it simply, Ruby, you replacing Neptune is not impossible."

"Then can I?" Ruby asked, perhaps interrupting Oz before he could say something else.

"There is a process," Ozpin told her. "In order to make something like this happen, I have to contact the championship committee and make an appeal to allow you to skate with Weiss. I can only do that because you have already qualified for the Worlds in another category. If you weren't a qualifier, I couldn't do that."

Ruby took a moment to think. "Okay. Then what?"

"I have to have a good reason for requesting a substitution."

"Isn't replacing an injured skater a good reason?" Ruby asked, desperate hope growing in her chest.

"It would be, but I also have to prove that you and Weiss are a worthy replacement for Neptune and Weiss," he explained. Ruby heard him chuckle yet again. "Which leads me to a question I must ask you."

Ruby sighed. "Okay. What is it?"

"If I send you to London to meet up with Weiss, can you two get the pairs routine to almost perfect by the day before the prelims begin, at the latest?"

Ruby was surprised by the question, but she immediately said yes. "We can."

"Because I have to present the committee with proof that you replacing Neptune and the subsequent change to the routine is still World Championship-worthy. If you can do that, then..." he went silent.

Ruby's mouth was hanging open, not quite believing Oz's words. "Yes?"

Ozpin sighed. "Ruby, I need you to tell me something."

"Anything, sir," she responded.

"What is your motivation for asking to replace Neptune?"

Ruby opened her mouth to answer, only to realize Ozpin's question wasn't what she expected. Her motivation? Like, her reason to want to skate with Weiss? "I...I figured that would be obvious," Ruby said.

"How so?" Ozpin asked. "I know you two are long-time friends, but that is not the real reason you want to do this, at least that's what I'm assuming."

Ruby immediately thought back to her conversation with Yang on the subway. Yang eventually figured out that Ruby's reason for want to help Weiss out was to endear herself to her crush, but that alone was too selfish, and Ruby wasn't denying that. No, she wasn't trying to help Weiss just because she liked her. She...

"I just want to make her happy," Ruby said, her voice lower and quieter than before.

Ozpin responded with a moment of silence before humming lowly. "That's very nice of you, Ruby. However, I don't think that's a good enough reason to neglect your own potential success as a solo skater."

"I won't neglect my routine," Ruby promised, rising to her feet and beginning to pace the length of her apartment. "I can rehearse my own performance in addition to learning the one with Weiss."

"That's an ungodly amount of work and stress to-"

"I know, but I can do it," Ruby assured him, though her confident voice did not quite match the confidence in her head. She was desperate, but did she truly think she could pull off something like this? Even if she were as good as she thought she was, was this something she was capable of?

Ozpin sighed. "Ruby, I..." He trailed off.

"Coach..." Ruby said, leaning her bottom against the counter, crossing her free arm under the one holding her phone to her ear. "I know this is a lot, and you want to do what will make the team as successful as possible, but...imagine if Weiss and I are successful." Saying this was almost like climbing a mountain without a tether. Was all of this hard work at trying to convince Ozpin worth the risk of crashing and burning? "You would be renowned as a coach, you would-"

"Ruby, I don't care about how this would benefit me," he interrupted. "My concern lies with you. What you're proposing could exhaust you. I don't want you to burn out before the Worlds."

"Oz, if I tell you can I can do it, I can."

Ruby listened for a response, but it took a moment for Ozpin to speak. Ruby had to admit that Ozpin wasn't wrong about her potentially overworking herself. She figured she would probably try pulling two practice sessions each day, one with Weiss, and the other on her own routine. That was definitely a hard schedule to conquer, but...the risk versus reward skewed much heavier towards the reward. Even if she failed, at least Weiss would get another shot at her dream.

"Coach Oz?" Ruby asked, concerned with how long it was taking for him to answer.

"I am your coach, Ruby," Ozpin told her. "However, when it comes to matters like these...the decision is yours."

Ruby stood up straight, balling her fist. "R-really?"

"I believe in your skills. All I ask is for you to pace yourself over the next three weeks."

Ruby literally jumped into the air, as high as she could possibly go. "So I can go?"

Ozpin chuckled. "Of course. Although airfare, room and board are on you until I can get approval from the board to fund it."

"Thank you so much, Coach Ozpin! You will not regret this, I promise!"

Ozpin laughed. "I look forward to you proving that to me."

Ruby's knuckles were turning white with how tightly she squeezed her hand together in excitement. "Thank you!"

"You're quite welcome, Ruby. Now, you should probably fly out to London tomorrow, so I hope you get some sleep before-"

"I'll call Weiss to tell her the good news! You're awesome! Bye!" Ruby immediately hung up, her mind racing as she navigated to the recent calls section on her phone. She punched Weiss' name and held the device to her ear.

Ruby could practically see Weiss' smiling face.

The ring signal played once. Then twice. Five times.

 _"Hi. You've reached Weiss Schnee. Please leave a message and I'll get back to you soon. Hallo. Das ist_ _Weiss Schnee. Bitte hinterlassen Sie eine Nachricht und ich rufe Sie zurück."_

Ruby sighed as she listened to Weiss' voicemail message. As excited as she had been to tell her about this triumphant turn of events, calling her at 3 a.m. German time probably wasn't the best idea. At least she got to listen to Weiss speaking German. It sounded cute and funny at the same time.

The tone blared, and Ruby recited her message. "Hi Weiss, I have something very very important to tell you, so you should call me back ASAP. Bye, I lo-" She stopped herself just in time. She almost said "I love you" like she always did when leaving a message for her sister or father. If she had actually said that...well, she was relieved she hadn't. "Uhh, I'll see you soon!" She hung up and launched herself onto her bed so her giddy screams of excitement could be muffled.

 _This is actually happening! I'm going to spend three weeks in London, just me and Weiss! This is so...I should get a flight, and a hotel. Gosh, I hope I have the money._ She probably did, though she would definitely have to split things with Weiss with the hotel. It would be cheapest if they just shared a single room... _Me and Weiss sharing a hotel room._ Ruby resumed screaming into a pillow, so intensely so that she almost didn't notice her phone ringing.

She scrambled from her bed to the counter, hoping it was a call from Weiss. How awesome would it be to actually get to talk to her now, to hear how happy she was about getting to do this with her? However, she ended up feeling a little disappointed to see it was actually a call from Yang. Now Ruby knew she was probably in line for more embarrassing fangirling from her sister. Sometimes Ruby wished Yang didn't ship her with Weiss so hard. "Hello?" Ruby recited as she answered the phone and put it on speaker.

"Soooo," Yang sang. "What's the verdict on you skating with Weiss?"

Ruby rolled her eyes. _Straight to the point, huh, Yang._ Ruby figured she'd mess with her a little. "Well, I went by the training center and talked to Coach Ozpin, and he said that it wouldn't work."

Ruby heard Yang whine like a kid who was just told they were too short to ride a roller coaster. "Ruby, I'm so sorry. You were so excited, too."

"Yeah," Ruby agreed, silently laughing at knowing something that Yang didn't for once. "So I came home, cried, ate some pizza, the usual."

Yang whined again. "You should've called me. I don't like it when my baby sister is sad."

Ruby rolled her eyes again, placing her phone on the counter and leaning her elbow on it as she continued. "Well, instead, I called Coach Oz."

"Oh?" Yang asked. "To try again?"

"Yep," Ruby confirmed. "But he rebuffed me again."

Yang whined louder than ever before. "What a meanie."

"But I kept trying to convince him and he eventually let me," Ruby rambled, intentionally trying to catch Yang off guard.

And that was exactly what happened. Yang didn't respond for a good five seconds or so. "So wait, you...he said yes?"

Ruby chuckled. "Yeah. I'll probably be flying to London soon."

Her statement seemed to click in Yang's mind, and in that very instant, Yang squealed like a twelve-year-old at a pop concert. "Holy crap!"

Ruby laughed. "Yep."

"It's...frickin' true love!" Yang declared.

"Ehhhh," Ruby murmured, expecting a flood of musings and fantasies on Yang's part.

"I'm so...flippin' proud of you!" Yang exclaimed.

Ruby snorted a laugh at Yang's attempts to avoid swearing. "Thanks, sis."

"You two should go out every day, go on lots of dates," Yang suggested. "Do something you both enjoy, together!"

"Well, we'll go ice skating a lot," Ruby joked.

Yang laughed mockingly. "Very funny."

Ruby chuckled. "You seem really excited."

"I've been waiting for this forever. Literally nothing in my life matters as much as this does to me, right now."

"What about finals?"

"You little...how dare you speak of that at a time like this," Yang complained. "My brain is dead from studying and I need a good love story to help it recover."

"True, though," Ruby huffed a laugh. "I'll keep you posted about what happens."

"I hope she falls for you!" Yang proclaimed. "You two are perfect for each other!"

"Don't jinx it, but thanks," Ruby said. "I'll talk to you again soon. Oh! JNPR have an extra ticket to the Knicks game Saturday. They offered it to me, but I'll be busy, of course. Maybe you could go with them."

"Oh hell yeah," Yang responded. "Nora needs me to back up her battle cries."

"Don't blow out your voice again," Ruby joked, remembering the last Knicks game Yang went to. She couldn't speak normally for a week from screaming at referees and chanting _DE-FENSE_ too much.

"No promises." Yang snickered. "I love you, you ladies' lady."

"Don't. And I love you, too," Ruby said back. "Good luck on your exam—"

"Don't, but thanks," Yang interjected. "Now, excuse me as I return to eating ice scream and stress-crying."

"You aren't stressing out _that_ bad, are you?"

"Poor, naïve, sheltered child," Yang murmured. "Know you not the stresses of my life."

Ruby snickered. "Alright. Have a good cry."

"I will. Thanks!" And with that, the call ended.

Ruby stood in silence for a moment, returning to her previous train of thought before the phone call, and she became just as excited as she had been before. There were so many things about the next few weeks that could potentially fulfill her dream of finally, _finally_ procuring the loving affection of the world's sweetest girl. It could happen at any time, when their eyes would meet, something within their souls would collide and connect, and Weiss would realize the love Ruby had for her, the beauty a relationship between them would hold...Ruby felt like crying again. She was just so...forking happy!

She definitely wasn't getting to sleep very easily tonight, mostly because she was too excited for Weiss' eventual call back. Ruby figured she could just stay up until then. She was going to take it easy tomorrow anyway since she and Weiss would need to plan out their next few weeks, and she would probably fly to London the next day. Ruby figured she could afford a late night eating pizza, reading fan fiction, or staring at her photo album of Weiss on her phone.

She started by making a packing list for what to take to London. Any time she traveled, she always made an extensive list of what to remember to bring. Of course she added several changes of clothes, five pairs of skates in case something happened to four of them, her phone charger...she paused to think of what more to bring when an idea popped to mind. _We could get a hotel with an indoor pool, or a hot tub,_ she thought, and she blushed at the idea of getting to go swimming with Weiss. Weiss was never a big fan of the beach, so Ruby had never seen her in a swimsuit, though she could certainly imagine...perhaps after a long day of practice, both of them tired and sore, maybe relaxing in a hot tub would be best for their physical well being. It certainly wouldn't hurt. Ruby added her swimsuit to her list.

She lied down on her couch face-up, staring at her phone screen as she tried to imagine more things to bring. She'd bring her favorite coat, a scarf, a couple pairs of shoes, sleepwear... _we could share a bed._ The image appeared in her head, and the room got hotter at the thought of actually having a non-zero chance of getting to sleep in the same bed as Weiss. _And we could cuddle..._

Ruby clicked the sleep button on her phone and let it fall to her chest as she stared at the ceiling, no longer able to focus on anything but her fantasy of getting to sleep with Weiss...well, not _sleep with_ Weiss. Sleep, _with_ Weiss. She felt even warmer for even considering such a...filthy thought. She shook her head in an attempt to clear it as she pictured Weiss in a night gown, wrapped in a blanket and lying in a bed, beckoning for Ruby to join her. Ruby imagined Weiss was a really good cuddler. She had to be, with as graceful as she was on and off the ice, she had to be just the same with blankets and pillows at her disposal.

A smile was growing on Ruby's face, only to be shaken away by a startling sensation. Her phone, which was nestled between her boobs, vibrated and rang, causing Ruby to flinch and almost roll off the coach. She picked it up and looked at the screen...

 _"Weiss wants to video chat"_

Ruby screamed, literally screamed as she sat up in an instant. It wasn't even four in the morning in Germany, but she was already calling back? This was...amazing! She could actually get to tell her, and maybe go to sleep afterwards. _Pff, who cares about sleep? Weiss!_

Ruby took a deep breath, trying to settle her nerves, and she tapped the green button to answer Weiss' call.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Weiss flicked off the bathroom light and gingerly navigated her way back to her grandparents' living room in the dark. She trailed her hand along a wall in order to safely guide herself back to the fold-out couch that she had been trying to get some sleep on for hours now. Of course she couldn't sleep. She was too upset, at the world, and herself.

Why did she get her hopes up for this? It was just a fleeting, wishful plan for Ruby to try to become her partner. Of course it couldn't actually happen, and yet...Weiss flopped down on the sofa bed, the spring mattress squeaking as she lied across it diagonally. She kind of felt like crying, but also knew that would be a dumb thing to do in response to this situation. Then again, crying felt like a welcoming idea...

She felt a vibration, and she turned her head toward her phone, which rested on the mattress next to her pillow. The screen lit up, and Weiss groaned and crawled her way over to grab it. She picked it up and looked at the notification on the screen:

 _Ruby Rose_

 _Missed Video Call_

"Ruby?" Weiss murmured. She checked the time. 3:40. She knew it was early evening in New York, but she also knew Ruby was aware of the time difference. Whatever she had called about, it must have been important.

Weiss swiped her finger across the notification to call Ruby back.

It took a little while for Ruby to answer. While the call was connecting, Weiss sat up on the side of the bed and rubbed her eye. Whatever Ruby had called her about, Weiss refused to feel hopeful about it. She didn't want to feel the impact of another dashed dream.

Ruby's face appeared on her phone. She was in her tiny apartment, her face beaming with a smile. "Weiss!" She greeted.

"Hey, Ruby," Weiss murmured, still rubbing her eye. She may not have been able to sleep, but she was still exhausted. "What's going on?"

"I have great news!" She said.

Weiss froze for a moment. _Great news?_ She still refused to believe what she hoped the news was, but—

"I can be your partner!"

...

"What?" Weiss muttered, no air in her lungs.

"I called Coach Oz and begged him to reconsider, and he did!" Ruby exclaimed. "I have permission to meet you in London tomorrow to begin rehearsing your pairs routine!"

Crying felt appropriate now. Weiss took shallow breaths, holding her free hand to her chest. "Ruby...are you serious?"

"Dead serious!" She nodded. "I'll tell you all about it when we meet up in London, but for now I just wanted to let you know the amazing news!"

Weiss put a hand to her mouth, then let out a short sob. There was no chance for her to hide her emotions. It was too late at night and she was too tired to even try. "Ruby...that's amazing."

"Weiss..." Ruby murmured, her smile disappearing. "Are you okay?"

Weiss nodded, rubbing her tears away. "Yes, I'm..." She took a deep breath to steady herself. "I'm so happy. Ruby, you have no idea how happy this makes me."

Ruby's smile returned, softer now that she recognized the joy in Wiess' words. "Believe me, if you feel anything like how I feel, I know you're pretty darn happy."

Weiss nodded and sniffed a couple times. "So..." She sighed, steadying herself. "You said we're meeting in London tomorrow?"

Ruby nodded. "Yep! I have a packing list made and I'm gonna look up plane tickets and hotels, too."

Weiss laughed. "I guess I have some preparation to do as well." Then she froze. "Wait. I left most of my gear at home."

Ruby looked at her for a moment. "Your gear?"

"All I have with me is a pair of skates and a small suitcase of clothes," Weiss explained. "I need my performance outfit, and like, a lot more clothes."

"Maybe you could call your mom and ask her to pack your stuff?" Ruby offered. "I could pick it up and bring it with me on the plane."

Weiss smiled. "Thank you." She sighed. "You're really pulling through today, aren't you?"

"Well," Ruby shrugged, a lopsided smile on her face. "I guess you could say that."

"So I take it I need to get myself a plane ticket soon, too."

"Definitely," Ruby nodded. "Like, as soon as you can."

"Honestly," she shrugged and chuckled. "It's almost four in the morning...I might just go wake up my grandparents and tell them I'm catching a six a.m. flight to London."

"But you need sleep," Ruby murmured.

"Ruby, I'm not going to get much sleep anyway," she chuckled. "Besides, if I get there before you, I can already have our hotel situated and paid for, I could meet you at the airport when you arrive—"

"I can help pay for the hotel, Weiss," Ruby offered.

Weiss chuckled. "It's really no problem, Ruby. I can afford it, especially if the committee reimburses me."

Ruby smiled. "You're so thoughtful."

"Speak for yourself." Weiss sighed. "So this means you're going to do your own routine, _and_ our pairs routine?" Weiss calling it "our pairs routine" made her heart flutter a bit.

Ruby nodded. "It's gonna be hard work, but I can do it."

"But you'll be exhausted," Weiss said.

Ruby waved a hand. "I'll be fine."

Weiss exhaled through her nose. "Ruby..."

"I know it'll be tiring and stressful, but...I mean, it's worth it." She cocked her head to the side, shrugging a bit. "This means a lot to you, and it means a lot to me. I can do it."

Weiss looked down for a moment, sighing a bit. "Ruby..." She looked back up at her, heart singing with joy. "Thank you."

"No prob, Weiss." She winked at her. "I'd love to keep talking, but we both have a trip to plan!"

Weiss giggled and nodded. "It seems we do."

"I'll see you in London, okay?" Ruby smiled.

"See you in London."

The call ended.

Weiss sat in silence for a moment, setting her phone aside and staring at the wall across from her. It began to sink in fully, the realization that, no, her dreams of competing at the World Championships had not been dashed, but instead, they had been saved by her best friend, who was single-handedly sacrificing her own potential for individual success just so Weiss could have a second chance at her dream...

She began to cry for a second time, holding her hands to her chest as tears escaped from her eyes once again. She was _so tired_ , and yet, she had never felt so excited. The world didn't feel real for a moment. She felt like this wasn't a chance that she deserved, and yet, Ruby had made it possible.

Weiss knew to never underestimate the power a motivated Ruby Rose possessed. If she wanted to make something happen, Ruby would make it happen, and Weiss wanted nothing more than to forego every bit of restraint in her body and shred every boundary of her friendship with Ruby and just kiss her, just hug her as tight as she could and kiss her.

"Oh god..." Weiss muttered to herself. "Oh god..." Did she really just think that? Did she really just _feel_ that? For Ruby? Now?! Why now?! What the hell?! Now she felt really sweaty, and kinda out of breath. "Ohhh my god..."

It was too late at night for this. She stood to her feet, phone in hand, and searched up plane tickets while pacing the floor in her nightgown and bare feet. She turned up the brightness on her phone, for the sole purpose of clearing her mind of _those thoughts_ as she found a two hour flight from Berlin to London, departing in just under three hours, for 100 Euros. She bought the ticket, then went over to her suitcase and changed into a jacket and white pants. It was 4 a.m. now, and she made a mental promise to herself that once she'd reach the hotel in London, she would take a nap, but for now, she zipped up her suitcase, folded her bed back into a sofa, and went to her grandparent's bedroom to wake them up and inform them that instead of staying with them for one more day as planned, she'd be flying to a city where she had no family, would be staying with her best friend in a hotel, and would probably be there for a month at least.

Her grandparents were confused, and very tired, her grandmother especially concerned, but her grandfather Nicholas Schnee, ever one to encourage her to spread her wings, encouraged her to get on that plane and make her dreams happen. She gave them both hugs, told them she loved them and that she was sorry to leave, but she had a flight to catch.

She then grabbed her suitcase and the keys to her rental car, and she ventured outside into the snowy Potsdam early morning. The sun was a long ways from rising, and it probably wouldn't rise until she would reach England. Weiss tossed her suitcase in the backseat, started the car, and went on her way. The airport was just thirty minutes away.

 _Oh yeah,_ she remembered. _I should call my mom._ She groaned. _I have to explain this to mom..._

* * *

Ruby wasn't a fan of air travel, and the nine hour duration of the Air Canada flight from LaGuardia to London made her feel a bit uneasy, not to mention the fact that it would depart at 6:30 a.m., or the fact that it costed $900, but... _Weiss._ It was all worth it.

Ruby seriously considered doing what Weiss was doing and just stay up until her flight would depart. She doubted her ability to sleep on the plane, but the last thing she wanted to do right now was lie awake in her bed freaking out about what was to come. Plus, there was always the chance of her falling asleep, then sleeping through her alarm, missing her flight, and screwing up this trip before it would even begin. Nope, not risking it.

Of course now, she had to figure out how to fill the time between now (10:30 p.m.) and when she'd leave for the airport (like 4 a.m.?)

She got a text from Weiss: _At the airport in Berlin. You should get a call from my mom about picking up my gear_

Ruby texted back: _What did your mom think of all of this?_

Weiss: _She had a LOT of questions. But she also knows how much this means to me, so she's happy. Although, do expect to get a talking to from her when you go get my stuff_

Ruby: _Should I be worried about that?_

Weiss: _No, she loves you, but she will probably go through all the stuff about making sure her baby is safe and so on, cause we're going to be in an unfamiliar city for several weeks, so yeah_

Ruby: _Aww, well I'll let her know that I shall protect her baby_

Weiss: _You know what? Say that exact phrase to her. She'll be embarrassed that you know she still calls me that_

Ruby: _Noted_

Ruby: _Will your brother be there?_

Weiss: _Whitley is studying abroad in Amsterdam_

Ruby: _Hm, good for him, and for me_

Weiss: _You're still not over that time he tried to ask you out, huh?_

Ruby: _Not one bit_

Weiss: _Well if it makes you feel better, apparently he found a boyfriend in Holland._

Ruby: _Oh, well good for him!_

Ruby: _Are all of you Schnee's gay?_

Weiss: _Winter is ace_

Ruby: _Noice_

Ruby: _What're the odds that an entire generation of your family is queer?_

Weiss: _Speak for yourself. Your sister is gay, too, right?_

Ruby: _Good point._

Ruby: _Hey, I've decided I'm just not going to sleep tonight. My flight leaves at 6:30, so what should I do to pass the time till then?_

Weiss: _You're not going to sleep?_

Ruby: _Nope_

Weiss: _Well...I don't know, what do you do in your spare time?_

Ruby: _I'm usually with you_

Weiss: _Aww. Well, what are you doing right now?_

Ruby: _Texting you_

Weiss: _Aww_

Ruby: _Can we keep doing that?_

Weiss: _Well sure! I've claimed a charging station in the terminal so I should be good to text you all the way to London. I hope the plane has charging outlets_

Ruby: _Won't you have to turn off your phone on the plane?_

Weiss: _Airplane mode and wifi, babay!_

Ruby: _XD You're gonna pay for the wifi?_

Weiss: _How else will I be able to talk to you?_

Ruby: _Aww_

Weiss: _Hey, what should I eat for breakfast?_

Ruby: _What're the options?_

Weiss: _German food :O_

Ruby: _Nice_

The texting screen disappeared from her phone, replaced by an incoming phone call— _Weiss' Mom._

Ruby quickly switched back to the texting screen to let Weiss know that her mom was calling her, then she answered the call, putting her phone to her ear. "Hello, Miss Schnee?"

"Hello, Ruby," Weiss' mother Willow greeted. Ruby had always compared her voice to a voiceover narrator's, calm and articulate. "How are you this evening?"

"I'm great," Ruby answered, laughing a bit.

"Weiss told me the news. Let me just say that I'm very thankful that you are such a good friend to her."

Ruby smiled. "I mean, Weiss is awesome. Of course I'd do this for her."

Willow chuckled. "I know you would. Now, I've packed the things she asked me to pack, so if you would like to come over in the morning before your flight—"

"Actually," Ruby interrupted her. "Could I come by now, if that's okay? So I won't be in a rush later?" She didn't want to reveal that she would be staying up all night, since that wouldn't come off as very responsible for someone Willow seemed to trust with "protecting her baby." She also wanted to get to the airport early, and she did not want to have to come by Weiss' home in the middle of the night.

"Well, I suppose you could," Willow said. "And while you're here, maybe you could make sure I packed everything? I'm not a figure skater so I'm not certain I got everything she needs."

"Sure thing, Miss Schnee."

"You can call me Willow, Ruby. Also, when you do come over, I'd like to talk to you for a bit, about this trip to London."

Ruby sighed silently and nodded. "Of course."

"Are you on your way now? Do you know the address?"

"I do, and yes, I'm on my way."

"Very well, see you soon," Willow signed off, and the call ended.

Ruby sat her phone down for a moment and took a deep breath, then realized she could text Weiss again now and picked it right back up.

Ruby: _I'm heading to your place right now_

Weiss: _Okay. Also, make sure my medicine is packed. My mom probably wouldn't forget, but just in case._

Ruby: _What medicine?_

(Ruby had never heard of Weiss taking any medicine).

Weiss: _My epilepsy medicine. I have plenty with me but you should pack the rest just to be safe_

Ruby: _Ohhhh okay gotchu_

(Ruby had completely forgotten Weiss had epilepsy, and felt terrible as a result. Weiss had gone so long without mentioning it to her).

Weiss: _Don't forget your medicine too_

Ruby: _I won't, thank you *heart emoji*_

Was the heart emoji too far?

Ruby actually didn't even think to pack her ADHD medicine, nor did she remember to take any today (The poetic irony of forgetting to take the medicine meant to help you not forget things. Is that irony?). She grabbed the bottle and tucked it in a suitcase before she'd forget, then proceeded to begin packing for the trip, all while intermittently responding to Weiss' texts.

After packing a couple pairs of skates and other necessary supplies, she did her best to stuff as much clothing as possible into her suitcase. She did _not_ want to have to pay any extra bag fees by bringing more than one bag, so she was going to make the most out of this one. It was a big suitcase, too, so she shouldn't have any trouble packing at least a week's worth of stuff.

She tried to press down on the flap to zip the suitcase up, but the mass of clothing and shoes refused to let the zippers get close enough to one another. Even as Ruby groaned and whined, pressing on it harder and harder, it didn't close far enough. Eventually, she resorted to dropping pro wrestler-style elbows to smush it down, then sat on it. She tugged the zipper like she were trying to start a lawnmower, but eventually, the zipper moved along and closed up the suitcase completely. Ruby groaned and raised her arms in the air in victory, legs sprawled in front of herself as she slouched on the suitcase.

Her butt buzzed.

She left her phone in the suitcase.

"Aaaagh..." Ruby whined and fell sideways to the ground, feeling like crying or maybe falling asleep right there. "Stupid suitcaaaaase..."

She got her phone back out, but she didn't bother zipping the suitcase back up before changing clothes and heading out to get Weiss' luggage from her house.

* * *

Despite her not being confident that she had packed everything for Weiss, Ruby assured Willow that she had everything Weiss would need in the two white suitcases she held next to her.

The Schnee apartment was a nice little home. It was a two bedroom apartment, with plenty of windows looking out to the street below. Ruby realized she didn't yet actually know what Willow did for a living, guessing it was lucrative considering she could afford such a nice apartment on her own. Willow ran several restaurants and a winery, and along with that, a non-profit to help alcoholics recover and become small business owners. Nifty stuff, Ruby thought.

"Here," Winter said, handing Ruby two hundred dollar bills.

"Wha?" Ruby asked, staring at the money, then looking up at Weiss' mom. "What for?"

Willow Schnee had long white hair and icy blue eyes. She looked so much like Weiss, except she was, like, a foot taller. She wore a blue t-shirt and gray denim jeans. She always seemed to be smiling, at least when Ruby was around. Despite feeling kinda awkward around her when she first become friends with Weiss, Ruby knew now for sure how much Willow liked her, and it felt really nice to know Willow was there for her and Weiss. "For the bags," Willow explained. "I figure it'll be quite a fee for these and yours together."

Ruby stared at the money for a few more seconds, then smiled and took it. "Thank you so much."

"No thanks necessary, what you're doing for my daughter is worth more than money." Willow smiled.

Ruby felt a small pocket of pure joy bubble in her chest. "So...this whole...London thing is okay with you?"

"Of course. I trust you, Ruby," Willow said. "You've been my daughter's best friend for years. I know you'll look out for her."

"Definitely!" Ruby nodded.

"But..."

"Eh...?"

"I do want to talk to you," Willow said. "Just to make certain that while you and her are in London for the next several days, you two stay safe."

Ruby nodded. "Of course."

Willow had her sit down on the couch while Willow sat in an accent chair nearby. She went over the expected points, stay safe when out on the streets, lock the hotel door every night, make a note of the nearest hospital just in case of any emergency, know the emergency number in the UK (Ruby had never thought about that, but instead of 911, you dial 999 in the UK). It was all pretty basic, and Ruby assured Willow at every turn that she would make sure everything would be okay.

She wasn't ready for Willow's next question.

"Ruby," she said, leaning forward a bit, looking her in the eyes. "Do you love my daughter?"

Ruby's train of thought had been derailed, delayed indefinitely. She had no other response but stuttering and confusion.

Willow sighed and chuckled. "That was a bit forward, I'm sorry. My point..." She sighed, closing her eyes for a moment. "My point is..." She opened her eyes. "This is going to be hard on you both. I can only imagine all the hard work you two are going to put yourselves through over the next few weeks. With that, that also means...you'll both get frustrated, tired..." She stood to her feet and came over to the couch, sitting down next to Ruby. She gently put a hand on Ruby's wrist. "Ruby, figure skating means so much to my daughter, but the one thing that I'm certain means more to her than that..." She nodded towards her. "Is you."

Ruby blinked, feeling tears well in her eyes a bit. She pressed her lips together, unable to respond.

"You're her best friend," Willow reminded her. "You have been there for her through everything. I've watched her cry on your shoulder after she failed at the Olympic qualifiers a few years back. I watched you stay in her hospital room for hours and hours after she hurt her leg at practice. Ruby...you love my daughter, don't you?"

Ruby felt her chest tremble as she struggled to fill her lungs. "I..."

"As..." Willow put a hand up, chuckling. "As a friend, I mean. I'm not trying to put romantic pressure on you, no no no."

Ruby sighed, feeling a little better knowing that Willow...didn't see right through her. "I love Weiss," she admitted. "She is the best friend I could ever ask for."

"Make sure she knows that," Willow told her. "When she'd tired, frustrated, upset...let her know you love her. I don't mean outright say 'I love you,' just...be there."

Ruby smiled, nodding. "I will. I promise."

Willow smiled. "Thank you, Ruby." She then stood to her feet. "Well, seeing how late it is, you should probably head back to your—"

"Oh, wait," Ruby interrupted her. "Weiss' medicine."

"Hm?"

"Weiss' medicine. You packed it, right?"

Willow stared at her for a moment, then sighed and smiled. "I did. But thank you for checking."

Ruby stood to her feet. "Of course. I mean, if I didn't bring it that wouldn't be very good—" She was cut off when Willow suddenly hugged her. "Oh."

"Thank you, Ruby," Willow told her, holding her gently. "Thank you so much."

Ruby was frozen for a few more seconds, then smiled and hugged her back. "It's...it's my pleasure, Miss Schnee."

Willow chuckled. "I remember when you would call me 'Miss Weiss' Mom.'"

Ruby laughed. "Yeah."

Willow let go of her and looked at her for a moment, then nodded and went to pick up the two suitcases. "I'll hail an Uber for you."

Ruby chuckled. "Thanks."

"And I'll help you carry these down."

Ruby laughed. "Thanks."

"Oh, I didn't even offer you a drink, do you like ginger ale?"

Ruby put her hand to her mouth and laughed some more. "I'm okay but thank you."

A few minutes later, they were street side, and the Uber Willow had hailed for Ruby arrived. As Ruby loaded the suitcases in the sedan's trunk, Willow waved at her. "Be safe, okay?"

Ruby waved back and nodded. "We will." She then got into the back seat of the car, and it pulled away from the curb and into traffic.

Ruby buckled her seat belt and sighed, the feeling of happiness lingering in her chest from her conversation with Willow. To know that Weiss' mom believed that Weiss cared about her even more than figure skating...well, caring about friends more than a sport was pretty normal, but...just knowing how much she meant to her...

"Having a good night?" The driver asked.

"Yeah," Ruby answered. She glanced at the driver, a young woman with long black hair.

"Heading somewhere with those bags?" She asked.

"London," Ruby answered. "I'm a figure skater going to a competition."

"Woah, well that's exciting." The girl laughed. "Small world. A friend of mine told me today about her sister going to a world championship. Do you know a Ruby...wait..."

Ruby's eyes were wide, and she looked at the little laminated name tag hanging on the back of the driver's seat. _Blake Belladonna_.

Blake glanced back at her. "You're Yang's sis—"

"You're the girl Yang talks about!" Ruby exclaimed with excitement.

Blake stared at her for a moment. "Oh...she...talks about me?"

Ruby felt her heart rate pick up, her cheeks flushed. "Ohhh...I...wasn't supposed to say that..."


End file.
